Morality Court, Part Deux: Gotta Side With The Giants On This One
by Nico on Jun 28, 2008 2:02 PM PDT
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PrintI hate it when my guys do the things I criticize others for doing. It's the Yankees who act like they're entitled to win because after all they exist, it's the Red Sox who act like they're superior morally, psychically, and in every other way, when they have superior talent on the baseball field, it's the Angels who act like they are supposed to get every call and that they only ever lose a game due to bad luck or worse injustice, and it's the Giants who act like the word "fan" applies to anyone capable of eating sushi and asking, "So when is Bonds coming up?"
Meanwhile, it's the A's who just trot to first base when hit by a pitch and don't head-hunt when throwing a pitch, who circle the bases quietly and efficiently upon hitting a homerun, who show the other team they can play without having to show them up, and who just keep exceeding expectations.
And then the A's P.R. department decided to run an ad in yesterday's Sporting Green, declaring that "The battle of the Bay is 100% baseball." Except "battle" was crossed out and an accompanying note explained, "Well, When You've Won 8 of the last 9, It's Not Exactly a 'Battle'".
The Giants took umbrage at this ad and I can't blame them. Granted, San Francisco showed its umbrage Friday by pounding out a run on five hits and putting up, well, not much of a battle, but that's really not the point. In continuing a marketing theme, there are ample opportunities to be cute or clever without being offensive or disrespectful, and the A's simply failed to walk this line. The Giants (throwing Lincecum and the lefty Sanchez) couldn't win the series? It's baseball, of course they could. The Giants are the only team bringing an anemic offense to the ballpark this weekend? I don't think so. "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
Perhaps the A's aren't just more fortunate to be in better shape than the Giants right now, perhaps they are more shrewd. Perhaps they are a better team now and figure to be a better team each of the next several years. I just hope that if this is the case, they remember to remain the classier team, because over the past 10 years the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, and Giants have all had plenty of success yet still have plenty to be ashamed of. I hope the A's win the next two games of the "Battle of the Bay" - and they will be battles.
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All I can say is...
“Well, When You’ve Won 9 of the last 10, It’s Not Exactly a ‘Battle.’”
I dunno. If the Giants don’t like it or the fact the A’s have touted their four championships in spite of no splash hits, I know something they can do: start beating the A’s and win a World Series.
Until then, let the marketing departments do what they want. If things turn around and it’s the Giants who have room to talk, they can. They’ve had Bonds and their ballpark anyway.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
I think that's wrong
You don’t kick someone when they’re down. No NFL team is bragging about spanking the Raiders or Niners. No one brags about beating Seattle (if only we could).
The point is that when you’re clearly superior (as the A’s are vs. the Giants this year) you take care of business on the field and move on. You don’t act like you just won the WS or take out full page ads bragging about it.
The A's are taking care of business on the field, yes.
They don’t have any involvement in what the marketing department does.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
And yes, I know the point you're making
I just don’t see a problem with the ad. I’m not asking for people to act like saints.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
I understand what you're saying
But I like a little cockiness. Rickey Henderson, my favorite player ever, did not play the game meekly or quietly. Neither did Reggie Jackson or Dennis Eckersley. As for the ad, I really don’t have a problem with it. The Giants have the better ballpark, they have the stronger radio station, they have 50 more televised games, they have way more local coverage and attention. If the A’s want to point out that they are the ones who actually, you know, win, I don’t really have a problem with it.
You're older than you've ever been. And now you're even older. And now you're older still.
by Swooney's Left Foot on Jun 28, 2008 2:15 PM PDT reply actions
+1
We get cocky when it comes to the Giants, too. Why can’t the marketing department? It’s not like it’s the first time it’s happened.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
Relax, it's a print ad.
No one else will see it.
There's no textbook for how to treat a geriatric tapir.
LOL - luckily I only brought it up
on the interweb, which nobody has discovered yet.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
It's a series of tubes
You're older than you've ever been. And now you're even older. And now you're older still.
by Swooney's Left Foot on Jun 28, 2008 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
I think it's a fairly shrewd move by the marketing department ...
... if what they’re aiming at is increasing the number of (per Poppy’s point) older and behind-the-times Giants fans who get riled up enough to buy tickets and go to the Coli to root against the A’s (which is my suspicion).
If that’s not their aim, then it’s ineffective and classless, and therefore a pretty stupid waste of money.
Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@
Marketing dept
If you even think the marketing department has a connection to reality, you must have worked at different dot-coms than I.
meh.
I don’t mind it very much. I think the A’s and Giants should work together on the marketing front, or at least from a mutual position that direct competition and rivalry will help fan interest in both teams.
Isn't "Giants Umbrage" one of the colors in the big Crayola box?
There's no textbook for how to treat a geriatric tapir.
Who cares
We’ve all said much worse on AN with regards to the A’s vs. Giants rivalry. I like it, it sure as hell didn’t stop the Giants’ fans from boasting about their great ballpark and superior number of fans on the BART ride home last night.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
I have nothing against Giants fans in general but it always makes me laugh...
...when I see any of them pulling stuff like “A’s fans are jealous of the history and tradition of the San Francisco Giants.”
Er, what history and tradition? 50 years without a World Series title? That history and tradition?
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
And yeah, I know the Giants have had great players and moments
But, no World Titles out west.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
I don't believe I've said much worse on AN or anywhere else with regards to the Giants
I also don’t believe I’m alone. I followed the Giants when I lived in SF. I never hated them and still don’t.
by WaddellCanseco on Jun 28, 2008 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Thanks Nico
Here I was … basking in the glory of another A’s victory and laughing at the slam in the newspaper, and you get all “mature” on me.
No, you’re right (although I think “offensive” is probably too strong a word) - it certainly was disrespectful. But it is baseball, after all, and some good-natured ribbing isn’t so bad, is it? I don’t know … the immature side of me (which, many on this site can attest, is often 90%) loves it … the kinder, gentler fan in me doesn’t.
Aw hell, I’m goin’ with the 90 - take that SF, you over-hyped, quiche-eatin’, cell-phone squawkin’, no World Series Ring havin’ bums!!!!!!!!
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
I think Rich Aurilia erased whatever sympathy I had for the Gnats in this situation:
Per the mlb.com Game Wrap from last night:
But despite that success, Eveland apparently didn’t impress at least one Giants hitter.“He wasn’t that tough,” said Rich Aurilia, who was 3-for-6 lifetime against Eveland going into the game but went 0-for-3 against him Friday. “He made some pitches when he had to. We hit some balls hard, just like we did against him at home last time.”
Aurilia, it should be noted, wasn’t all that impressed with the newspaper ads, either.
“It’s unprofessional, in my opinion,” he said. “If that makes them feel good about themselves, go ahead.”
First off, what an a-hole. That’s twice in a couple weeks that Eveland had handcuffed the entire Giants squad and this “vet” can’t even say one good thing about Eveland the Rookie? And two: what a baby! “If it makes them feel better about themselves, go ahead.” What!? Hasn’t this guy been around long enough to realize the difference between “them” the Oakland team on the field and “them” the Oakland Athletics, LLC marketing department?
I would have liked the marketing department to NOT run that add, but I’m also satisfied that most of our actual PLAYERS are a lot classier than Aurilia and the other clowns (K-Rod) on the teams you mentioned that I think the A’s have a pretty good rep around the league.
Actually
What Aurilia is saying emphasizes the practical reason it was stupid for the A’s to run the ad. All morality aside, firing up the other team’s players is always a bad idea
Here again -
It’s the A’s MARKETING department that made the decision to run the add, not the A’s players on the field. Like I said, it would’ve been better for all involved if the add didn’t run, but for Aurilia, obviously frustrated by the end of his career being expedited by Eveland, to publicly bitch about the add ON TOP of dissing Dana just shows how CLASSY he is.
Aurilia isn't the first to dis Eveland
Didn’t Seattle do it in April?
by WaddellCanseco on Jun 28, 2008 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree Taj Adib, and for the record
I don’t blame the players in any way shape or form for the decisions of a marketing dept – and I don’t think what the marketing dept did was outrageous, just in poor taste/judgment. Not a huge deal, just a mistake IMO.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Indeed.
Yeah, Nico, I see what you’re saying. It’s kind of a shame whenever something off-the-field (a la Milton Bradley’s feud with BB) blemishes what’s happening ON the field. The A’s players, coaches and the rest of the organization are usually uber-professional, which probably makes this whole add business that much more striking for how unexpected it is.
Oh, c'mon, Nico
If you don’t think it’s a huge deal, why are you generating an entire thread about it? This is kind of silly – it’s just a little harmless (and, I think, basically good-natured) trash talking, trying to tweak the local opposition and fuel the rivalry. It’s not as though we all trooped over to McCovey Chronicles and started insulting people, or got drunk and made asses of ourselves in their park. If I was a player (or Bob Geren) I wouldn’t be thrilled with the marketing folks providing the opposition with bulletin-board fodder, but that’s a different question.
Did you object to the “No Splash Hits, Four World Championships” billboards? Because that was inspired. This wasn’t exactly inspired, but is pretty much in the same vein. There’s such a thing as being too sensitive to very mild provocations.
This whole thread is a waste of space that could have been devoted to another discussion of the fundamental question: “Paul Thomas, good or evil?”
I always thought the idea
that you could “fire up players” through the media was kinda stupid. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but if you’re a professional athlete, and you need a newspaper article to “fire you up” ... shame on you.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
Your comment just fired me up
to write a great fanpost instead of a lousy one – thanks!
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
I actually think that's wrong (at least for MLB)
I think during the regular season managers manage each game with an eye towards future games instead of throwing absolutely everything into each game while it’s going on. Similarly, I think players pace themselves to survive the grind. I think both of these are good things.
If you make a particular game more important than it otherwise would be (for example, by talking trash), players are going to want to prove you wrong by beating you (and the next series be damned)
I like it.
Besides, the gnats are going to be talking about it on KNBR. So the A’s are going to market themselves using the Giants own resources. What’s not to like about that? Maybe the A’s are going to seriously challenge the Giants in the only arena where they haven’t consistently beaten them. Marketing.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
People talking about the A's = good.
No such thing as bad publicity, in this case.
Children, until we have taught them better, will be perfectly happy with a seasonal round of games in which conkers succeeds hopscotch.
So if the Yankees took out an ad trumpeting 26 World Series titles to 9 for the A's,
a 100+ year history in New York, vs the A’s being the second team in both Philadelphia and San Francisco (what the hell is Oakland?), an all time winning percentage of over .600 against all A’s incarnations, you’re OK with that?
by WaddellCanseco on Jun 28, 2008 4:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I like it when people talk about the A's.
Nobody cares about playing the Royals.
Children, until we have taught them better, will be perfectly happy with a seasonal round of games in which conkers succeeds hopscotch.
just like Giambi's Top Ten comment about Oakland, eh?
Can an aging lemur suffer from dementia? @('.')@
all things being equal...
I prefer the A’s beating up on the giants without the aid of the PR dept. but as it has been said previously things aren’t equal mediawise SO I don’t really mind stirring the pot of sports talk radio on the giant68.
Aurilia may not be impressed wiith Eveland but how impressive is Aurilia?
Well he only slugged .368 last year,
but it was a gritty .368.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
To the extent that I have an opinion at all,
(which isn’t much … because, you know, it’s just one newspaper ad that I didn’t even see), I agree with Nico.
A’s acting like the Yankees = not a good thing. (And by A’s, yes, I mean the organization, not the players).
"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk
I liked the ad...
the truth hurts. Another sweet aspect of the A’s dominance over the Giants this year is that the A’s are doing it with some make-shift line-ups. No Thomas, Sweeney(x2), Chavez, etc.
BTW, what is the status of the Big Hurt?
Hurt's Return
I heard A’s are hoping he is ready first game after All Star Break (18 July).
You're older than you've ever been. And now you're even older. And now you're older still.
by Swooney's Left Foot on Jun 28, 2008 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I Disagree
The ad is the same as the “spash hits: 0, world titles: 4” ads. It’s fine. It’s merely pointing out a fact. Unlike the yankees/redsox/angels/giants fans who act morally superior or make up bogus excuses as to why they lost. This was just stating the facts.
Cust is the new Jaha.
by johnjahafanclub on Jun 28, 2008 4:20 PM PDT reply actions
No it wasn't
It’s not a fact that this series isn’t exactly a battle. We’ll be lucky to win it considering the pitching we see tonight/tomorrow.
That's offensive?
I’d hate to embarrass you with something I’d find offensive.
Sheesh – the Giants and their fans need to grow a backbone and STFU.
still Swish Fan #1.
/Giants fan here/
Just wanted to point out that most of us don’t like the “Bonds, Not Baseball” fans either.
And I don’t really care about the ad. The A’s have earned the right to a little swagger when it comes to beating us up. If we went 8-0 against, say, the Dodgers, I would cackle with glee if we placed an ad like that in the LA Times.
I’m looking forward to tonight’s game, almost as much as any this season, hoping that Li’l Timmy recovers from the erratic start. Almost equally, I want to see Duke pitch because he’s long been one of my favorites.
p.s. Can Oakland please whup on the Angels the they’ve beaten up on the Giants for the rest of the season? Cuz that makes everyone happy.
you can't block the Bocock
Fine, for you...
...we’ll go ahead and whup on the Angels.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Nico Loves The Giants Always Has Any Real A’s Fan Knows There is a Bay Area Media Bias Towards The Giants. What a Lousy Post as usual.
Hmm, a new person who can't say this using his real identity?
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
Perhaps he fights crime in the evenings,
and thus can’t afford to reveal his true identity – which I assume is “Thin Straight-Hair”.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
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